Volcano Unveiled in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

The most in-depth volcano experience on the Island of Hawaii is back! Learn about the natural and cultural history of the volcanoes and about the island’s formation. A National Park Certified Guide will share a mix of illuminating the stories behind the ever-changing landscape of our island home during this 12 hour tour exclusively focused on volcanoes!

After a convenient pickup from select hotels on the Kona and Waikoloa coast you take a scenic drive on Saddle Road to the famous Hawaii Volcanoes National park for exploration and lunch. In the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park you visit the Kilauea Crater which was dramatically transformed in 2018 by the recent lava flows towards Fissure 8 and violent seismic activity in the area. This tour includes 2-3 miles of hiking around the park to explore on foot and get up close to the volcanic landscape. Your guide will explain what happened to the park and what it was like before it was forced to close in April 2018.

Afterwards you explore Kauhi cave, a magical lava tube with ceilings as high as 35 feet known for its bright yellow and gold microbial mats living on and accenting the cave walls, and finish with a pau hana (Hawaiian for “happy hour”) featuring locally-sourced appetizers.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: How much hiking is there on this tour? 

A: You will hike for 2-3 miles at a location determined by park conditions that day.

Q: Will we get to see active lava? 

A: Although there are currently no active eruptions in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and on Kilauea Volcano, active lava viewing conditions change daily or even hourly. You can get a weekly update from the USGS website here.

Hawaii Forest & Trail is a highly respected local tour company that has operated on the Big Island since 1993. They have gained access to private and restricted lands and are widely recognized as a tour company that has passionate and knowledgeable interpretative guides, all of which translates into consistent stellar reviews from their past guests.

Hawaii Forest & Trail is fully certified by the Sustainable Tourism Association of Hawai’i. This means that their tours are eco-friendly, culturally educational and operate as sustainable as possible.

Knowledgeable Staff

The HFT staff are picked to have strong academic backgrounds in biology, geology, Hawaiian culture and history, and extensive natural history field experience. It’s not enough for the guides to simply “know things”, they must also have a real passion for Hawaii’s natural world and enthusiasm for sharing it.

Giving back to the community

The vision of Hawaii Forest & Trail is to share the splendor of Hawai’i and inspire a deep connection with our natural world. They donate a small amount ($1 per guest) to a fund that makes donations to non-profit organizations whose mission and work aligns with at least one of the following criteria:

• benefits the conservation of Hawaii’s native ecosystems, species and landscapes.
• promulgates the understanding and practice of Hawaiian culture and the dissemination and understanding of Hawaii’s natural and cultural history.
• promotes and facilitates an appreciation and interaction with nature, especially programs that are youth oriented.

It is the intent of the fund to give preference to entities who are based or whose work is performed in the communities where they operate tours.

We are affiliate partners with Hawaii Forest and Trail meaning that we receive a percentage for each successful booking made through our website. This happens without any additional charge to you. (read more on the use of those links on our website here).

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